Animation Salutes the Troops

Began the morning with breakfast and vintage Superman cartoons. Given the tenor of the comics in 1942, it was probably inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis on the big screen, too. "Japoteurs" has Superman rescuing Lois and a big modern fighter plane from saboteurs who have no idea Lois stowed away on the plane. "The Eleventh Hour" is a shadowy masterpiece with a mature story depicting Superman committing acts of sabotage in Japan. Lois is captured and used to force Superman to stop fighting the Axis, but he still manages to rescue her. "Jungle Drums" switches to the Nazis as Lois and Superman discover a plot to use a native tribe and their temple to down Allied planes. Superman rescues a "Secret Agent" with information on a saboteur group when members of the group go after her.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working on my resume. I really just need to update it to add my after-school program work and my new childcare skills.  It needs to be reformatted, too. I added the new details, but I'll mess around with the formatting tomorrow or another time.

Watched Popeye shorts while I worked and ate lunch. Superman wasn't the only Famous Studios character to swing faster than a speeding bullet into World War II. Popeye joined the war a couple of months before the US did in "The Mighty Navy." Once the US followed, he appeared in a series of propaganda shorts that mostly depicted his adventures in the Navy and on leave. He dealt with life at sea in "Fleets of Strength" and "Blunder Below." He's not saying "Many Tanks" when Bluto dumps him in the tank corps in order to steal his date with Olive. He delivers "Spinach fer Britain" when he dodges the Nazis in order to bring cans of spinach overseas.

Of course, Popeye dealt with trouble on the home front and on leave, too. "Kicking the Conga Around" and "Aloma of the South Seas" are spoofs of South American stereotypes and culture of the time. The former involves Popeye learning to dance "the conger" to impress Senorita Olive, thanks to spinach. The latter is basically the same deal, without the dancing. "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix" and "Baby Wants a Battleship" have Olive and Swee'pea wrecking havoc on Popeye and Bluto's ship. 

Popeye had just finished when I rushed off to the school. Thank heavens the rain that had come down all morning was long gone by 2:30. It was still cloudy, windy, and much colder, in the upper 40's, but not raining. The kids were out for about a half-hour, but it was really too windy and cold for them to be outside for too long. I did have a hard time helping one of the smallest kids in the bathroom, but I did help her out, and her parents thankfully arrived just a few minutes after I got her back. I told her they would!

We split up the kids after that. Half stayed in the cafeteria to draw or play with toys. The others went in the library to play "Would You Rather?" and "Heads Up 7 Up." "Rather" has the teacher giving the kids too choices. One group who wants one choice takes one side, the other group goes to the other. 

I remember playing "7 Up" as a kid in school. Four kids are chosen. The others all lay their heads on their arms and put up their thumbs. The "pickers" push down a thumb, and those who are chosen have to guess who picked them. If they guess, they get to choose. If they don't guess correctly, the picker stays. They were still playing when I headed out.

Went straight home and into the Looney Tunes wartime shorts. Though Warners' first cartoon star Bosko did the World War I short "Bosko the Doughboy" in the early 30's, most of their war shorts were World War II propaganda. Like Popeye, they dove into the war before it even hit the US in "Meet John Doughboy" and "Rookie Revue." Most of their subsequent wartime shorts were either one-off character comedies like Bugs' in their last war short "Hare Meets Herr" and "The Draft Horse" learning that war is no action film, allegories like "Fifth Column Mouse" and "The Duckinators" on how we got into the war and how we planned on winning it, or sketch comedies about life on the home front like "Wacky Blackout" (country living during the war) and "The Weakly Reporter" (city and suburban living).

My three favorite Warners war shorts all came from the wildly warped mind of director Bob Clampett. I watched these during dinner. "Super Rabbit" has Bugs eating a carrot that turns him into a Superman parody. He fights a cowboy (who sounds like a prototype of Yosemite Sam) and his horse until push comes to shove and he dons the uniform of a real hero...a Marines officer. 

"Draftee Daffy" has Daffy doing everything he can to escape "the little man from the draft board," even if it lands them...down there. "Falling Hare" may be the only time one of Bugs' antagonists gives as good as they get when he goes up against a little gremlin sabotaging planes. This fellow is no dope and leads Bugs on a merry chase through the skies, until the plane goes into a free fall!

Worked on The WENN Nutcracker Suite while everything was on. While Betty helps the Nutcracker, whose wooden arm is loose, back to his feet, she gets a chance to look around. Most of the toys and all of the tin soldiers were taken prisoner by the Mouse King's army...except one. Annie the Rag Doll (Maple) finds diminutive Lieutenant Foley hiding behind a gift. He's a new recruit and had never fought a battle until that night. Annie and Betty coax him out from behind the present and tell him it's ok to be scared. Mack the Lion (Mackie) says he's a lot more sensible than most toys.

Finished the night at YouTube with Family Feud. From 1989 through 1991, the Ray Combs Feud did a series of yearly tournaments that pit all five branches of the Armed Services against one another. In 1989, the Army kicked off by, alas, kicking the Navy's rear. The Marines did by far the best. They had the best trash-talking, some of the best answers, and won the Fast Money the most. When they won the second time, one of the largest Marines swept the only woman off her feet! I don't think her feet were on the floor for a good five minutes. 

Celebrate Veteran's Day by honoring the men and women who fought and Feuded for our country with this anything-goes Armed Forces battle!

Day 1 - Army Vs. Navy

Day 2 - Marines Vs. Air Force

Day 3 - Army Vs. Coast Guard

Day 4 - Air Force Vs Coast Guard

Day 5 - Marines Vs. Navy

Day 5 - Army Vs. Marines (Tournament Finale) 

Dolls and Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and The Adventures of Flash Gordon. "The Monsters of Mongo" include a giant dinosaur-like creature, sea serpents, and trees that reach out and grab victims. Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and King Thun manage to dodge the first, but they're caught by Ming the Merciless' daughter Aura. Ming keeps Dale for himself and wants to make use of Zarkov, but sends Thun and Flash to the mines as slaves. Aura frees them, but they run headlong into the sea serpents and trees before Prince Barin and his men catch them.

I was supposed to have an interview with Healthy Kids Programs, the after-school and summer programs for Collingswood and Oaklyn's elementary schools, at 9:30. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the audio and video working on the first app they wanted to use. I do have an account on Zoom, so I switched to that.

Thankfully, it went very well after that. I explained why I was interested in their program. I may not be a teacher or have worked with kids on a regular basis, but I don't have any problems with them, either.  They only need someone early in the morning or late in the afternoon to help with their before and after school programs, and that would be perfect for my off days at the Acme. I remembered how, in fifth grade, I got so into reading The Lion and the Mouse for my class, the teacher had me repeat the performance for the kindergartners. I spent the rest of the school year helping the teacher out with them, making up stories based after whatever I was into at the time, during what would have been my lunch hour.

(Of course, they partially let me do this to dodge the bullying that had gotten even worse by the late 80's. I would be pulled from Cape May Elementary after that school year and placed in the special ed middle school.)

Went over the Healthy Kids website after I got off with them, then headed to my dental appointment. Got there with five minutes to spare. The waiting room was nearly full to capacity when I arrived. It took almost ten minutes for the dental technician to call me back.

No trouble after that, though. I was just getting a cleaning today. I did admit to the technician that my lower right teeth have been a little sensitive. They chew fine, but I can feel hot and cold with them. She gave me two toothpastes to help with it.

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop after I got out of my appointment. It was past 12:30, and they were pretty busy, too. I had a tasty avocado, tomato, and mozzarella omelet with fried potatoes (that I didn't finish) and a whole-wheat bagel. Grabbed two more bagels for lunch this week on the way out.

Since Great Clips is right next door to the Bagel Shop, I got my hair cut next. There was only one other person sitting in the salon chairs and no wait. They were able to take me right away. I only got a trim this time, since I went so short last time. It looks cute, but given we're coming up on summer, I kind of wish I'd gotten another inch off.

Went home after that and right into dressing the dolls for May and warmer weather. Samantha's birthday is in May, so she gets to wear her pink striped birthday dress with the frilly pinafore. I bought her new white shoes with pink bows and snaps on eBay a few months ago. Molly's trying on her rainbow striped Tennis Outfit. Josefina is in her lovely Dress and Vest and the gold fringed shawl from her Feast Day Outfit for Cinco Del Mayo next week. Jessa's just in a tye-dye flower print T-shirt and capris. 

Whitney celebrates Memorial Day (or Decoration Day, as it would have been in 1959 when her backstory is set) in Maryellen's red, white, and blue bow-print School Outfit with the blue cardigan and cute red bow-trimmed shoes. Felicity is ready to help me clean the rooms in her green-striped Work Gown. I bought the hand-made pinafore for Samantha to wear in the early 90's, but I never did put it on her that often. It works better as an apron. Kit's ready to get that scoop in her pink, green, and yellow Reporter Outfit with the coral knit cardigan. Ariel gets Julie's current meet outfit with the floral peace sign tank top, yellow crocheted vest, and hip flared floral jeans. Barbara Jean is the queen of Cherry Hill High's prom in her pink fringed dress and stole that were originally a play outfit for Melody.

Listened to The Essential Michael Jackson while I worked. You can't get much more essential than just about every big song Jackson ever had, from his time with the Jackson 5 until his final hit "You Rock My World" from 2001. The majority of Jackson's best-known solo output came out between 1979 and 1991...pretty much the entirety of my childhood. 

Jackson was one of the biggest superstars on the planet for my first ten years of existence. We had his Thriller album and I think Bad on cassette. So many wonderful songs that were such a part of my life then - "Rock With You," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man In the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Black or White," "Heal the World," "Will You Be There." Now I'm even more looking forward to the Michael Jackson film musical biography that's at this writing scheduled to open in October. 

I checked my email when I got home...and to my delight and shock, Healthy Kids offered me the job. I figured they'd want someone who has more experience with kids, but I guess I really impressed them. I did have to tell them about my vacation with Lauren (I was able to get all but two days - they were going to need help the last two days with the kids getting out of school), and I'll need to change my availability at work. Even if this is only for the late spring and summer, I'll be making two paychecks, and more to the point, will have something to do this summer besides wander around South Jersey buying records and books.

Put on Hart to Hart while I got the deal with the vacation hashed out. "Max In Love" is delighted with the pretty lady (Madelyn Rue) he's dating...at least until he and the Harts come home from an auction house to find their home empty. Max's new sweetheart is helping a crooked auctioneer (Rene Auberjoinis) and his thugs rip off wealthy homes. After Max gets hurt catching the thieves killing one of their own, the Harts take it on themselves to keep the men from making off with the rest of their things. 

Switched to Match Game '78 during dinner. Avery Schriberer and Barbara Rhodes joined in as Richard admitted that for once, his answer to "Whip __" in the Audience Match wasn't very good. Gene spent the next episode trying to figure out who Dayton Anderson was.

Finished the night after a shower with game shows based around numbers or statistics.  The Audience Match on Match Game deals with statistics and surveys to a degree. The most famous survey-based show, of course, is Family Feud. Richard Dawson asks the survey questions in this 1978 episode from the height of the original run's success.

Most other numbers-based shows didn't get anywhere near the long run of Feud. Alex Trebek's first hosting gig in America was The Wizard of Odds in 1974. "The Wizard" asks questions with three answers based on averages. In the second game, they had to guess which phrase or person didn't match with the others. The contestant with the most correct answers got the chance to choose which prizes to play, under locked or open windows. Winners had their names added to Alex's Wheel of Fortune, which he would spin to give a contestant even more prizes.

On one hand, I'm glad this finally turned up in 2022. Until this episode was uploaded, there was nothing of this online but the opening. On the other hand, I can see why it only made a year. The game play is kind of complicated, and the statistics are a bit dry. Alex, however, is charming out of the gate. No wonder NBC would call him back for this show's much-improved replacement High Rollers. 

While most of Trebek's two versions of High Rollers were wiped by NBC, the Wink Martindale syndicated revival from 1987 is still very much around. I loved watching this show on Channel 17 as a kid. It was fun to watch contestants try to roll the right numbers for those big prize packages!

Play the Percentages was somewhat similar to The Wizard of Odds. In this early episode I have here, two couples try to guess a percentage-based question. Whomever got the closest to the answer would earn the number in the question. The original bonus round had the couple choosing a percentage-based answer to a question. Once again, they get the number in question, but getting 0% would end the round. They kept revising this and revising this during the seven months it was on the air in 1980, eventually dropping the couples in favor of solo players and switching the bonus round to being survey-based, more like Feud. Nothing worked, or frankly, made this show a whole lot more interesting. It was gone by fall 1980.

Nipsey Russell had no more luck with Your Number's Up back at NBC in 1985. Here, after Nipsey gives us his poem for the day, three contestants spin a number wheel and try to earn more diamonds. The contestants would select one of two phrases, while Nipsey read the other half. If a car symbol appeared, they'd have to guess the numbers on a car's license plate. Personally, I thought all the spinning and diamonds got to be a bit much. Bringing in audience members to earn money along with the contestants and doing a home game just made things even more complicated. No wonder this didn't last three months.

The British do much better with numbers in their long-running Countdown. The first half has contestants rearranging letters to make words. During the second half, they solve math problems. Admittedly, it is fun to play along with the first half and see what words you can make from the letters yourself. The second half is a little less exciting...but overall I can see why this has been going since 1982 and is one of the longest-running game shows in England. 

Learn about numbers, odds, and statistics with these rare delights!

The Wizard of Odds (1974)

Family Feud (1978)

Play the Percentages (1980)

Your Number's Up (1985)

High Rollers (1987)

Countdown (1991)

Strange Spring Magic

Started off the morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. The "Pups Save a Super Pup" when Rubble is inspired by his hero Apollo to attempt to move a rock slide on his own. The others have to help out when he ends up trapped too...but then he sees Zuma trying to drive his dump truck and realizes what he's really good at. "Pups Save Ryder's Robot" when the robotic dog that usually acts as their aide gets out of control and runs amok in Adventure Bay. Skye keeps an eye out for him, while Rocky does the repairs.

Let the second half of Supermarket Sweep run while making my grocery list. I came in just as the first team won the Big Sweep (and had a really cute stuffed eagle bonus). They didn't do nearly as well with the bonus round, though, getting caught up on the second question.

It was such a stunning afternoon, I grabbed my push cart and walked to the Westmont Plaza. It's not a long walk, only about ten-fifteen minutes or so. The weather was much too beautiful to be taking Uber. It remains just about perfect for late April, sunny, breezy, and in the mid-70's. I was fine in shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. There were a lot of people doing the same, jogging, walking their dogs or with friends, or pushing their children in carriages.

Target surprisingly wasn't busy when I arrived. I must have just missed the lunch crowd. I did look at what little remained for Easter to see if they had any half-price decorations, but I ended up with a Cherry Chai Latte at Starbucks. Oooh, other than being a bit sweet, that was tasty, nicely cool with cookie and nut bits on the top.

I was mainly there to do my Sprouts shopping. Restocked soda (Zevia and an inexpensive hydrogen-fused sparkling water), dried fruit (sliced mango was on sale), coconut milk, and granola bars. I've wanted to try golden (cane) sugar again for ages; got it from the bulk bins. The bananas have gone soft too quickly. Grabbed red grapes instead, since they were on sale. I wanted another oat-based cereal I could eat cold, now that it's too hot for cooked oatmeal. Most of the commercial cereals, even the organic Sprouts ones, had too much sugar and/or salt. I ended up with their organic blueberry-lemon granola instead. 

Stopped at the pretzel shop on the way home. I wasn't up to much more than a stuffed cheese steak pretzel and two regular ones. Bought those, headed out. 

Ate them for lunch while watching Hooray for Huckle! I was very disappointed with this follow-up to The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Also known as Busytown Mysteries, Huckle and his friends and sister Sally solve mysteries all over town, learning to use deductive reasoning and solve problems. "The Big Apple Mystery" has the kids following the trajectory of a huge wooden apple rolling across town. "The Missing Pickle Car Mystery" introduces Mr. Frumble, as they help him figure out what happened to his iconic pickle car. Gold Bug the reporter relates the goings on.

Honestly, the mysteries themselves are cute, but the animation is terrible. The characters do look like their book counterparts, but they barely have any facial expression or movement. Those "mysteries" seem kind of weird, too. I don't think I'll be continuing it; it might go over better with the target preschool audience as an introduction to mysteries and problem-solving. 

Switched to Les Girls after that. I go further into this unique dance musical featuring Gene Kelly and the finale movie score for Cole Porter at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Les Girls

When Jessa texted and said she'd be late, I had the time to do a super-short online interview. All they did was flash three questions I had to answer on a camera onscreen. Simple as that. Took me less than eight minutes. I don't know how well I did, and I'm not sure I could get away with all the driving and traveling the job requires, but I did do it. 

Jessa finally picked me up around 6. I've always wanted to try The Cheesecake Factory, but the one time I made it to the Cherry Hill location, the line was prohibitively long. There was no line tonight. We were seated within five minutes. It's a basic burgers-and-dinner restaurant with elegant, colorful floral paintings on the walls and ceiling and shiny wooden panels. Even the bar was lovely. Jessa had chicken Parmesan. I had a turkey burger. Oh, yum! Turkey burgers are usually dry when made by a restaurant, but this one was perfect, juicy and nicely seared. Jessa got three big breaded chicken patties. She let me try part of one, and they really were that good. (She ended up taking the last one home.)

Watched Remember WENN after a shower. Radio station manager Scott Sherwood is "Popping the Question" near the end of the second season when he starts a game show that's fixed in favor of the sponsor's spoiled son. The rest of the staff do their best to teach Scott and the bratty college kid a lesson. Meanwhile, Doug Thompson, the station's sweet lawyer, is waiting (and waiting) for busy Betty Roberts to remember their date.

Finished the night working on the Les Girls review while listening to The Very Best of the Electric Light Orchestra - All Over the World. Today, ELC is probably best-known for their contributions to Xanadu. Along with "All Over the World," we get their slightly slower version of the title song. Much as I love that movie, I prefer some of their better-known singles, like "Strange Magic," "Evil Woman," "Don't Bring Me Down," and "Mr. Blue Sky." 

Change of Heart

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey and Minnie hide six eggs, and the rest of the gang has to find them in order to reveal "Mickey's Springtime Surprise." Funny Bunny Pete plays all the tricks he can in order to keep the others from finding those eggs!

Headed off to the Haddon Township Library to meet Bryanna around quarter of 11. Got there just in time...to learn that she was late and wouldn't arrive until 12:30. Figured I'd get my grocery shopping done and went across the street to Target. My cell phone went off while I was in the snack food aisle. Seems she meant 11:30, not 12:30. I just grabbed brownie mix (which was on sale), granola bars, and an Orange Cream Coke Zero and rushed back across the street.

Bryanna was there when I arrived. She had applications for the Gloucester Township Libraries to sign. On one hand, they were only for part-time summer work, one as a regular library assistant, the other as a youth library assistant. I thought I wanted a real full-time job, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm up for that big of a change. As badly as I want out of the Acme (and I want out very badly), it might be better to do something smaller and see what I'm really interested in and what I can handle.

Explored the library a bit before I finally headed out to finish running errands at the Westmont Plaza. I couldn't find the treat bags I thought I picked up for the kids' Easter gifts, so I bought larger ones at Dollar Tree. Also grabbed two last Easter cards there. Picked up golden raisins, coconut milk, soda, sparkling water, sprinkles, poppy seeds, brown sugar, and bananas at a quiet Sprouts. 

At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around! The sun was finally out, without a hint of cloud anywhere. Though it remained windy, it was also much warmer, into the lower 60's. It was so nice, I stopped at the Hispanic ice cream parlor on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike on the way home. The lime and cookies ice cream I had was delicious, crunchy and sweet all at once, with just enough hint of lime.

Went straight home after I got out of Sprouts. Watched The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town while I ate lunch and moved the new CD/cassette player to the top of one of the low book shelves in the bedroom. (The stuffed animals that had been there went on top of the record crate where I originally had the cassette player.) I went further into this and Here Comes Peter Cottontail at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog way back in April 2019.

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town

After that ended, I went downstairs to make Pastel M&M Brownie Cookies. The original recipe called for the brownie cookies to be topped with Cadbury pastel eggs, but I already had the M&Ms. I mixed the M&Ms and sprinkles in with the brownie mix and added cocoa and more flour for extra richness. Yum! I'm giving these away and didn't taste them, but they sure smelled chocolate-y in the oven!

Listened to the Wicked soundtrack on my new CD player while I made the cookies. I almost didn't buy this. I've had the original cast album for years, and the song list is identical to the first half of the show. However, it does have fabulous performances from its two witches. Adriana Grande's "Popular" and her part of "Dancing Through Life" is adorable. Cynthia Erivo does equally well by gentle ballads like "I'm Not That Girl" and big belting numbers like the finale "Defying Gravity." Honestly, if you loved the movie, you'll probably want this, too. 

Tested the cassette player while the cookies were in the oven. It almost immediately ate my original copy of the Beach Boys' Still Crusin', but the soundtrack from the 1945 State Fair worked just fine. State Fair isn't regarded as one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best works, but it does have some decent songs. "It Might As Well Be Spring" won an Oscar, and I'm also fond of the ballad "That's for Me" and the chorus number "It's a Grand Night for Singing." 

My Jack Benny Show cassette played fine, too, and I've run this to death since I bought it in college. "Phil Harris Goes to War" with his band in the episode I listened to. More specifically, they joined the Merchant Marines. Jack is more interested in the trip to New York they'll be taking in the next episode, including the ultra-cheap Acme Arms Hotel. (Wonder if he ran into any Looney Tunes there?) Meanwhile, Mary Livingstone prefers to think of her husband as a mother duck, Rochester explains to Jack that he got the wrong pajamas back from the cleaners, and youthful singer Kenny Baker hasn't gotten around to seeing his boss' then-new movie yet. 

Did Sunday School Musical when I went back upstairs. I go further into this religious B-movie imitation of High School Musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Sunday School Musical

Switched to Match Game '77 during dinner. Buzzr took a flying leap into the week with Patty Duke and Nipsey Russell. Thankfully, Richard was still in a decent mood here, surprising considering this was the week after the infamous School Riot and he couldn't have been happy with the show or producer and judge Ira Skutch at that point.

Wink and Gene are only doing slightly better mid-way through their Password Plus week. Wink finally got to an Alphabetics and did well on it. Gene, however, keeps using long words that no one understands or have to be explained. 

Finished the night with the two children's Easter albums I've dug up in the last few weeks. Disney's Peter Cottontail has a too-sweet choral version of the title song, but also includes a retelling of the short story "Grandpa Bunny" from Storybookland. Songs about Thumper and the White Rabbit are just ok.

I found Peter Cottontail: The First Easter Record for Children to be vastly more enjoyable. Gene Autry has a lot more fun with the title song, along with the western-themed "Bunny Round-Up Time." Rosemary Clooney gets the cute "Eggbert, the Easter Egg" and "My Choc'late Rabbit." Art Carney gives us two goofy story-songs, the retelling of Peter Rabbit as "Flop, Mop, Cotton, and Pete," and the description of bunnies as "A Thump, A Twinkle, and a Twitch, or How to Make a Rabbit." 

Sounds of Music and Toons

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Shaggy and Scooby are initially thrilled to go on a "Roller Ghoster Ride" when their roller coaster design becomes a reality, thanks to two enterprising young female theme park entrepreneurs. Their delight gets scary quickly when a green "Roller Ghoster" seemingly sabotages the rides in the park. While Velma tries to explain to a kid why he's too short to ride everything and listens to an old safety manager complain about modern rides being too dangerous, the others try to figure out what the ghost is really up to.

Brought my laundry downstairs to be washed, then headed out to run errands. My first stop was Dollar General. I mainly wanted to pick up Easter cards here, along with a sympathy card for my friend Linda Young. Grabbed grape and lime mixes for hydration, too. I was hoping to get brush pics at CVS, but I didn't see the ones I use. Bought one more Easter card I thought was especially pretty and pastel M&Ms for a recipe before moving on.

Strolled down to West Clinton for lunch at Common Grounds Coffee Shop. They were busy, but I was able to get a seat. Had crumb cake, a spinach-feta pastry, and a Strawberry Meadow Matcha. Basically, a green tea latte with strawberry puree. Not bad, once I mixed everything in. A bit sweet. The crumb cake and especially the pastry were better.

At least it was a nice day for a walk into town. It was gale-force windy, and the sun was in and out, but it was also much warmer. Despite the wind, it actually made for a pleasant stroll back up to the White Horse Pike and East Haddon Avenue. 

Put my laundry in the dryer, then went upstairs to watch The Flying Temptations. I go further into this vehicle for Beyonce Knowles and Cuba Gooding Jr about a young man who takes over his hometown's church choir at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - The Flying Temptations

Switched to Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies while doing job hunting and bringing the laundry upstairs. The Easter Bunny has gotten sick, so Granny searches for a replacement among the Toons. This is really more of a showcase for Oscar-winning shorts from Termite Terrace than anything to do with Easter. Among cartoons we get bits and pieces from here are "For Scentimental Reasons," "Knighty Knight Bugs," "Birds Anonymous," "Robin Hood Daffy," "Hillbilly Hare," and "The Rabbit of Seville."

Moved to The Berenstein Bears' Easter Surprise during dinner. I went further into the tale of Brother Bear learning about spring and new beginnings at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog for Easter 2023.

The Berenstein Bears' Easter Surprise

Did Match Game '73 next. Gail Parker of Mannix made her only appearance on the show near the end of the year. This is also about the time when Lee Merriweather debuted and Charles Nelson Reilly became a regular panelist. 

Listened to the original cast of The Sound of Music while working on my Flying Temptations review. Mary Martin is Maria here, with Theodore Bikel as her Captain. Though I think Martin sounds a bit old for Maria here, there's still a lot to enjoy, including two numbers for Max and the Countess that didn't make it into the film, "How Can Love Survive?" and "No Way to Stop It." Bikel's "Edelweiss" is especially lovely.

Match Game Productions will be honoring DJ and game show host Wink Martindale, who passed away today at 91, by running the week of Password Plus episodes he appeared on in 1981. Tom Kennedy was in charge by the time Martindale and Gene Rayburn appeared. Frankly, their first episode was kind of a mess. Gene was too slow to handle the Alphabetics bonus round, and he kept using long words his contestant didn't understand. Even worse, someone managed to erase an entire round, which Kennedy had to describe to the viewers. 

At any rate, see how all this went down for yourself!

Wink Martindale Tribute - Password Plus #540 (1981)

Finished the night listening to a lesser-known Rodgers and Hammerstein show, Pipe Dream. A marine biologist (William Johnson) falls for a prostitute (Judy Tyler) in Monterey, California, then has second thoughts. This is a little too spicy for sentimental Hammerstein, but he and Rodgers did provide some nice music. William Johnson's opener "All Kinds of People" does give us a good idea of the milleu, "All At Once You Love Her" and "The Next Time It Happens" are lovely ballads, and Judy Tyler gets the sad and sweet "Everybody Has a Home but Me." 

(Oh, and it rained briefly but hard around 7 PM. To my knowledge, it hasn't done anything but be windy since.)

Looney Tunes at the Movies

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Huckle, Sally, and Lowly see how much alike PS Pig and Mr. Frumble are and decide to play "Match-Makers" for them. Good thing PS thinks Mr. Frumble's bumbling is adorable. "Forget-bur Never Forgets" in Mesopotamia when he creates language in order to remember what he needs to build for the emperor's temple. Hilda has "Toof Trouble," but is afraid of the dentist and doesn't want to admit it. She borrows Bananas' headphones to focus on something more pleasant than the drill...and then has to convince Bananas that he needs to see the dentist, too.

Bryanna picked me up at 10:30. We applied to twenty jobs between the two of us, including two for the Camden County Library again. I'm not sure about those. They're only part-time, and they don't have health insurance or pay much. I badly wish I could find a job that I would like that would give me full-time and health insurance! Bryanna suggested I take a part-time job and keep the Acme job until the health insurance on the other job kicked in. 

I'm not sure about that. I already feel stuck. I'm going to be trapped at the Acme forever, doing the same old job I've been burnt out on for 20 years, just because of the health insurance. If it had to be two jobs, I'd rather have two jobs I want to do. And considering how terrible I am at getting to work, I don't know I could keep up with two jobs. Maybe I could find a second job at home. 

I was thoroughly depressed when I got out of the Haddon Township Library. Walked up to the Westmont Plaza and stopped at the bagel shop for lunch. They were so busy, I took the last booth in the back that had a seat missing. At least the tomato, avocado, and mozzarella omelet and multi-grain bagel were tasty. They filled me up so much, I couldn't finish the hash browns that came with them. 

Bought a quick water at Sprouts, then walked down Cuthbert and across the White Horse Pike to pick up the bus. It was only a minute or two late, and relatively full for quarter of 2. Thankfully, it only took about 15 minutes to get down the White Horse Pike to Somerdale. I got off across from Taco Bell and the big Walmart.

Since I had time before the movies, I took a brief look at Walmart. Not a single thing of interest there...or much of anything in there. The records are totally gone, and most of the TV sets that would interest me have those annoying anti-theft devices on them. Not to mention, I haven't watched most of the TV series sets I have yet. The 18-inch doll clothes are gone, too, though they still have a lot of doll accessories. I don't really need much in the way of food right now, either, and I figured the movie I was seeing wasn't long enough to need snacks. I walked out with nothing.

At least the day was beautiful for all the hiking. Sunny and in the lower 60's, with no wind whatsoever. As perfect of a late winter day as one could wish. It was a pleasure to head down the hill to the Cinemark theater. 

Even with the walk, I was still ten minutes early for The Day the Earth Blew Up. I figured I might as well be early. I went to the bathroom, and the commercials didn't start until a good ten minutes after that. Of the commercials, I'm already hoping to see Snow White for review sometime next week. Elio looks really sweet, too, and worth checking out this summer. I'd be more excited about The Bad Guys 2 if I'd gotten around to seeing the original The Bad Guys. I'm not much for religion, so unless The King of Kings is a musical, I'll likely pass. The Legend of Ochi looks like an imitation E.T, which was never my favorite movie. It's also likely a pass. 

Mixed feelings on The Day the Earth Blew Up. I'm not going to go heavily into the plot here due to spoilers, but, on one hand, I appreciate the well-done hand-drawn animation that feels like a color short of the early 40's and the emphasis on Daffy and Porky's relationship. Daffy has been my favorite Looney Tunes character since childhood, and the whole thing with him and Porky working together was rather sweet. I'm also glad to see Porky's girl Petunia Pig here; not only is she just as cute with Porky, but she's a scientist and probably tougher than both guys. 

On the other hand, this one sometimes gets a little too loony for its own good. It's hard to figure out what audience it's intended for.  I'm not sure how younger kids would handle the heavy violence level reminiscent of older Bob Clampett shorts. As much as I liked seeing Daffy and the pigs in the spotlight, I kind of wished other Tunes like Bugs or Marvin the Martian had shown up, or at least had cameos. For all the great animation, this still feels like something that should have been released on Max, regardless of Warners' lack of respect for animation right now. 

I think your enjoyment of this one will depend on how big of a Looney Tunes fan you are. I've loved the Tunes since childhood and got a kick of out of it. If you're also a fan of Daffy, Porky, Petunia, or the wilder Clampett shorts, you'll want to see if you can find this at a local theater and check it out.

Did the reverse of my usual movie trip and called Uber for a ride home. I didn't feel like hiking up the hill and waiting around for the bus again. The Uber driver arrived in ten minutes, avoided traffic on the White Horse Pike, and got me home in 15. 

Went into The Girls On the Beach when I got in and brought my laundry downstairs. I go further into this female-centric Spring Break Beach Party imitation at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Girls On the Beach

Switched to Match Game Syndicated after the movie ended while I had dinner and put the laundry in the dryer. I arrived in time for the last episode of the week with Bart Braverman very happy to be sitting between Debralee Scott and a cowboy hat-clad Holly Halstrom on the bottom row. For some weird reason, Buzzr skipped way ahead after that, to the week featuring Don Galloway of Ironside, Fannie Flagg, and Bart and Holly returning.

Finished the night working on the review while listening to animation and family film soundtracks in honor of The Day the Earth Blew Up. Gay Purree may not have had the best story or animation, but it does have a really lovely score. Judy Garland's ballad "Little Drops of Rain" was a favorite of hers, while Robert Goulet gets the charming "Mewsette." Paul Frees and The Mellow Men have fun with "The Money Cat."

I could have sworn I read that Reader's Digest Huckleberry Finn from 1974 didn't get a soundtrack, due to Roberta Flack not liking the instrumentation for her big ballad "Freedom" that opens the film and album. I'm so glad I was wrong. "Freedom" is lovely and stirring regardless of the instruments used. Harvey Korman and David Wayne also have a blast with their comic numbers "Royalty" and "The Royal Nonesuch." 

The Carl Stalling Project: Music From the Warner Bros. Cartoons 1936 - 1958 gives the man behind the scores for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies his due and shows off some of his best work. Only five cartoon scores are heard in full, but they include his wild and energetic music for the original Porky In Wackyland and its remake Dough for the Do-Do, along with Putty Tat Trouble, the Wil E Coyote-Road Runner short There They Go-Go, and his last short To Itch His Own. We also get medleys of other scores from various time periods - the Depression and early 40's, the war years, the early 50's. It gives you a new appreciate of how good his scores were and how much energy they added to the Toons. 

Winds of Change

Got a quick start today with Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie at Tubi. Daphne is hoping Fred will get over his obsession with nets during a vacation in Florida, but the hotel they're staying at is full of them. It's also the home of a water-based monster who attacks a young woman wearing a lavish diamond necklace. Velma tries to figure out what the monster's after, while Shaggy is jealous when Scooby falls for the rich woman's pretty pug.

Bryanna picked me up promptly at 10 AM. We ended up at the Collingswood Library, which while about the same length of time from Oaklyn, has a teen area that isn't used when the kids are in school. As I thought from our chat on the phone, she is much younger, probably in her 30's, and a new recruit at Abilities Solutions...but that may be what I need right now. I want someone high-energy and fun who knows about newer jobs and online opportunities and will neither retire anytime soon, nor leave because her insurance is too high. Between the two of us, we applied to 27 jobs today. Most of them were customer service phone representatives that I'm not sure I could do. I'm not all that great on the phone, or talking to people period, but at least it's something.

Bryanna dropped me off at the Westmont Acme next. I had grocery shopping to do. I mainly restocked yogurt, bagels, Kind bars, cocoa powder, and Slice soda here. They were having a good sale on several laundry detergent brands. I couldn't reach the last of the Persil, so I ended up with Arm & Hammer. Walked up the hill past the two fast food places, the Westmont Diner, and the Haddon Township Library to the Westmont Plaza after I finished there to hit Sprouts. Bananas, bulk brown sugar, dried cranberries, and breakfast cookies were the big things on my list here. They had SunSips, another new type of stomach-friendly soda, buy-one-get one. SunSips come in peach, a flavor I hadn't seen with any other brand, so I thought I'd try that. Grabbed a Zevia on sale, too.

I hadn't had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop in ages. They were busy at quarter after 1 with couples and older people on their lunch breaks. I had my Diet Pepsi and my favorite spinach and fetal omelet with a toasted chocolate chip bagel. Ate everything but some of the roasted potatoes while listening to standards like "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin.

Considered walking home, but for one thing, I had way too much to carry by that point (including the laundry detergent bottle). For another, my right knee was absolutely killing me. It's been hurting like heck a lot lately. I have no idea if it's part of the peri-menopause, or if I re-aggravated it somehow. For another thing, though it was mostly sunny, it was also gale-force windy again and a bit chillier. The Uber driver arrived in 7 minutes and once he found his way to Cuthbert, had no problems getting back to Oaklyn.

Put my groceries away, then spent the rest of the afternoon watching Madam Satan. I go further into this truly bizarre early talkie disaster musical made by none other than Cecil B. DeMille of the later biblical spectacles at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - Madam Satan

Switched to The Price Is Right next, then Match Game Syndicated. They started off a truncated week featuring Clifton Davies and a pair of very dissimilar singers, Gail Farrell of The Lawrence Welk Show and Paul Williams. A World Trade Center comment caused the first episode of this week to be pulled from the rotation on GSN, and it remains lost even on Buzzr. 

The last hour went straight into another truncated week, this time with comedian Freeman King and in her first appearance, bubbly comedienne Betty Kennedy. Gene apparently made a racial comment towards King that keeps the second-to-last episode of this week off the air nowadays. Too bad. King was a little dull, but Kennedy had so much fun, she'd turn up a few more times during the syndicated run.

Finished the night with more from The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. The hot jazz of Fletcher Henderson's "The Stampede" and Red Nichols' "Dinah" gives way to the smoother big band sounds of Benny Goodman's earliest hits like "Body and Soul" on the second disc. Billie Holliday croons through a gorgeous "These Foolish Things," while Ella Fitzgerald claims "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and Count Basie and His Orchestra stomp through the "Taxi War Dance." 

Jazz on a Winter's Afternoon

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and the Disney short "On Ice." Mickey shows off for Minnie while skating on a frozen pond, while Goofy attempts ice fishing. Donald would rather pick on Pluto and get him to skate, until his own showing off almost ends with him going over the falls!

Though thankfully my stomach is feeling a lot better, it's still windy and cold out there. I called Uber. No trouble there today. The one in the morning came in 6 minutes. The one going home arrived in 7. No traffic either way or problems on the road.

Work was a lot busier today than it had been yesterday, and it was harder to keep up with the carts. Tuesday is our senior discount day. There's a senior housing apartment complex less than a block from the Acme, and it tends to bring them by the droves. I had to put away a lot of cold items and clean up the messy back lounge area, too, and I forgot to sweep the floor in the lounge area. I was very happy to get out of there.

Went straight upstairs and changed after I got in. Made a fried egg sandwich for lunch while watching The Scooby Doo Show. "The Creepy Creature of Vulture's Claw" is the Mantis, a huge man-sized preying mantis who is stalking the area around a botanical garden. The professor who is about to buy the place, the caretaker, and another man who wants to buy it all warn the kids away. Fred and the girls are determined to stay, especially after they discover oily footprints and suspect there may be oil on the property.

Switched to Tubi for All Night Long after the cartoon ended. I go further into this 1962 jazz take on Othello from England at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

All Night Long (1962)

Watched Match Game Syndicated while eating dinner and doing job searching (didn't find anything). David Doyle, Debralee Scott, Dick Martin, and Patty Duke figured into the second week of the show. The first episode featured a funny older lady with a charming English accent who claimed she wrote poetry and "dirt," as she put it. The second had David trying to do imitations for Charles and Brett, who just couldn't figure out what he was doing.

Listened to the soundtrack from Rocky IV while I worked on the All Night Long review. I've never been a fan of the Rocky films, but I'd be the first to admit that there's some terrific (and very 80's) music on this CD. "Eye of the Tiger" and "Burning Heart" by Survivor were the major hits at the time, but my favorite number is one of James Brown's best later songs, "Living In America." There's also the duet "Double Or Nothing" by Kenny Loggins and Gladys Knight and two good instrumental numbers, "War" and "Training Montage."

Finished the night with more Match Game Syndicated, this time genuine rediscovered history. Jimmie Walker finally fixed the red tape that kept his syndicated weeks from being seen. The first of them is running on GSN this week, starting with an episode from the previous week with George Kennedy and Dick Martin. Martin starts stripping when Gene points out that he doesn't usually wear a tie on the show...which inspires Betty White to do the same, not once, but twice. 

Jimmie joins in for the next episode, along with Debralee Scott and Bart Braverman. Jimmie is honestly pretty subdued for him. Charles has more trouble when his name falls off the Star Wheel and he attempts to walk out, then makes snide remarks about how cheap the whole darn thing is. 

Here's the episodes, so you can see how all this came out for yourself!

Match Game Syndicated #185 - Dick Martin Strips? 

Match Game Syndicated #186 - Charles' Name Falls Off Star Wheel

Pink Cookies for a Blue Lady

Began the morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins. Lambie gets jealous when Doc pays more attention to her new heart toy Val than her on Valentine's Day in "My Huggy Valentine." Doc assures her that she'll always be her favorite girl, no matter how many toys she gets. As a teddy bear collector with allergies, I really appreciate "Dusty Bear." Doc can't figure out why her brother Donnie won't play with his beloved bear Teddy B, until she realizes how dusty he is. A good spin in the wash eliminates the dust and keeps Donnie from sneezing.

Pluto is frustrated when no one at the garage will play with him in Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures. Mickey accidentally tosses his Frisbee into a tree in the park, knocking out a bird's nest. The three baby seagulls become attached to their "Papa Pluto." Pluto quickly learns a lesson in responsibility when  he has to keep the trio from wrecking havoc in the garage, then find their mother. The Happy Helpers are "Happy Valentine Helpers" when they roll out their trailer to make Valentines for everyone. Daisy thinks that a huge order is from Donald and uses the Super Charger to make him something incredible. They both learn it's the thought that counts when he rescues her after her gift goes out of control.

I wanted to make the strawberry-white chocolate chip cookies for Valentine's Day next, but I put too much oil in. They ended up spreading too much and looking more like strawberry pancakes. Oh well. I'd still give them to my niece and nephew, to a neighbor's daughter, and to a friend and her daughter. 

Rounded up my Valentine's cards that go out in the mail and the treat bags for Khai and Finley (along with the pet treats for their dogs and cats I forgot at Christmas) and headed out for a short walk. Dropped the cards in the mail box, then strolled down West Clinton to Common Grounds Coffee House. By 4 PM, they were full to capacity with college students doing homework and friends chatting over lattes. I ended up in a chair by the door. At least I was able to eat my small spinach feta pastry and most of the banana, and the Violet London Fog tea drink wasn't too sweet and did indeed taste of violet. 

Headed back to the White Horse Pike after I dropped the bag of goodies at Rose's front steps. I realized I'd forgotten three cards, so I stopped at Family Dollar. Thankfully, there was no trouble this time, despite it being almost as busy as the coffee house. I went in, got three cards for my neighbor, my friend, and her daughter, and got out.

By the time I was back on the White Horse Pike, snow had begun to drift softly down from the slate-gray sky. Though it wasn't windy, it was very cold, barely in the 30's. Between the weather and the fact that my stomach is still off, this was no day to linger. I went straight home. 

Went online and watched the 1947 movie New Orleans next. I go further into this historical romance about Louis Armstrong and the birth of the blues in the Big Easy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

New Orleans (1947)

Watched Match Game '91 when the movie ended. The first week of 1991 brought Charles Nelson Reilly back from vacation, along with Tom Villard and Pam Stone. Sally Struthers plugs her role as the voice of businesswoman and single mom Rebecca Cunningham in one of my favorite cartoons of the early 90's, the Disney action comedy Tale Spin. 

Got a call while the show was on. It was from the JC Penney at the Cherry Hill Mall. I'd applied for a receptionist job at their hair salon. Apparently, it was already closed, but they were interested in me for a saleswoman job. No. Absolutely not. Nice of them, but I want out of retail period. I don't mind manning their desk, but I'm not selling anything. I told her to keep me in mind if another receptionist job opened. 

Switched to Lost In Boston III while working on the New Orleans review. I love the Lost In Boston CD series, which covers songs that were cut from shows that made Broadway. By far my favorite here is the hilarious "Mama's Talkin' Soft" from Gypsy, performed by two little girls as in the original concept. This fast-paced number basically says Louise and June have seen their mother seduce guys and likely will again, and it's so good, it's since been restored to several productions. Other good numbers include "Travelin' Light" from Guys and Dolls, "Older and Wiser" from Bye Bye Birdie, "Big Fat Heart" from Seesaw, and the touching "Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10" from Sweet Charity. 

Finished the night with The Very Best of Vaughan Monroe. Though Monroe and his band were active well into the 50's, they did most of their best work during and after the war years. Among his hits were his theme "Racing With the Moon," the ballad "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Dance, Ballerina, Dance," "Ghost Riders In the Sky," and the later "The Duckworth Chant." Today, he's probably best-known for introducing the holiday standard "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" 

Oh, and as Monroe pointed out, it has indeed continued to snow for most of the evening. I was feeling a bit blue myself about the cookie mess, my upset stomach, the job rejection, and a few other things, which made the arrival of my tax return today very welcome. I probably won't have the time to do much with it until next week, but I do need a new cell phone.

And I have no intention of seeing the Eagles parade in Philly on Friday. I've taken enough time off work lately, the floral department manager will need the help, and I'm not up to wandering around among the crowds. Not to mention, I really have no desire to get crushed, and public transportation will probably be packed to the rafters. 

Guardians On Ice

I was getting dressed when I checked my phone and saw a message from Dawn to call her immediately. Turns out, not only was she unable to get together today, she was leaving her job. Apparently, she had a scare riding over black ice coming back from that job fair last Friday and was worried that her car insurance wouldn't cover constantly taking people to job fairs and interviews. Her boss Sue would take my case until they could find another counselor. 

That left me rather at loose ends, and very disappointed. I had intended to do my grocery shopping and run errands today anyway, since it's supposed to rain tomorrow. I'd just have more time for them now.

I had breakfast and made my grocery list while watching Sailor Moon. Usagi and the girls are thrilled when an English gentleman who is friends with Mamoru invites them to a genuine ball. Usagi dreams of "Usagi Dancing the Waltz," until she realizes she'll have to speak English to all his friends there. Nervous, she grabs the wrong drink at the party and ends up drunk. She'll have to sober up in a hurry when Eudial crashes the party with a tone-deaf phonograph monster whose music is a lot less sweet than a waltz!

Let Supermarket Sweep run while getting organized. I came in for the "Snack Attack Movie Game." The contestants answer three trivia about movies of the time. The one who gets the third question also taste-tests a popular snack and has to guess what it is. (In this case, Snackwell Sandwich Cookies.) That team also had a clear advantage in the Big Sweep, starting well before the other contestants and amassing more in bonus items than the second team did in their whole sweep. They didn't do quite so well with the bonus round, though.

Headed out after that. I first stopped at PNC to get money from their ATM machine. Ran in, got the cash, and got out in five minutes with no lines and no trouble.

Took the back roads in Collingswood to avoid traffic as I headed to the Westmont Acme to begin my big shopping. Found bagels on the bakery clearance racks, picked up parchment paper, Kind kids breakfast bars and Fuji apples with online coupons, and restocked yogurt and soda. 

The last thing I expected to find among the probiotic sodas in the big coolers in the front of the store was Slice Ginger Ale! I haven't seen Slice in at least 20 years. I thought Pepsi dropped it in favor of Sierra Mist. Apparently, someone bought the name and started it up again as a type of low-sugar probiotic soda not far removed from Olipop. The can even looked the same as it did when I was a kid. I bought it, though I haven't tried it yet. Their web site indicates that there's at least four more flavors available, including lower-sugar versions of the original orange and lemon-lime. I want to try the grapefruit - that's not a flavor other probiotic soda companies have gotten to yet.

Made a brief stop at the Haddon Township Library to drop off An Appetite For Murder before heading across the street to Sprouts. Picked up tiny mandarin oranges 2 for $1, Zevia and Nixie diet sodas, granola bars buy one, get one free, and chocolate peanut butter cookies on clearance. Decided to try the bulk "European cereal," which was really oats and chopped dates. Had a hard time with the oranges at the self-checkout. They didn't have numbers. I had to wait for the lady in charge to take the wrong ones off, then find the right number.

At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around, especially compared to the weather we're supposed to have tomorrow! Sunny, bright, breezy, chilly but not overly so like it was last week. By the time I dodged the traffic on Cuthbert and headed home, the snow we got last Sunday had vanished from all but the thickest piles and the shadiest areas. 

Put everything away, then had eggs and an orange for lunch while watching Archie's Weird Mysteries on Tubi. Archie's lamenting nothing interesting going on, until Reggie turns up in shock, clutching an overdue library slip. Turns out "The Haunting of Riverdale" all stems from the library, where the recently-deceased librarian who worked there for decades has been turning up again. Everyone says she was sweet and dedicated to her job but Jughead, who was afraid of her. He'll have to face his fears and explain why she intimidated him in order for her to finally be able to go home.

Watched Shinbone Alley on YouTube while doing some job hunting on my own, including putting in an application for a receptionist job at YourOffice, a shared office space company. I go further into this odd 1970 adult animated musical featuring Eddie Bracken as a cockroach poet and Carol Channing as the alley cat he admires at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Extra - Shinbone Alley

Watched Match Game Syndicated while getting ready to head out. Gene Rayburn burst through his doors today, smashing them to bits! That led to a round of macho jokes, especially after Gene handed a contestant a piece of the door. Joyce Bulifant did unusually well too, getting almost every answer right. 

Jessa picked me up at 5:30 to go skating and out to dinner. We were originally going to go out tomorrow night, but the nearest skating park is outdoors, and like I said earlier, it's supposed to rain. She parked along the road behind the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill, across from Cooper River Park. The former mini golf course across from the hotel had been made over into a temporary ice skating rink. She bought the time and rented our skates, which we changed into in a large white tent.

I haven't skated since there was briefly a rink just outside of Wildwood in the mid-90's. I did well then...but tonight, I just couldn't keep my balance. I moved slower than a snail. My right foot kept threatening to go out from under me. I'd skate out to the ice with Jessa and the kids, only to return to the sides a few minutes later. At one point, I took a very nasty fall on my left arm and wrist and had to be helped up by Jess and the guy in charge. I was so embarrassed, though Jess said I was doing fine. It's not like all the little kids skating around us weren't falling over themselves and each other, too. 

After an hour, my wrist and left arm were really sore, and my thighs burned. Jess kept saying "one more round," but I'd had enough. Besides, it was getting busy. More kids had showed up in the hour since we arrived, and it was starting to get crowded. We stopped to take selfies on the side, then took off our skates back in the tent. She took a few more photos of us at the wooden boards set up to look like a snowman, a reindeer, and Santa Claus, and we warmed our hands over nifty little fire pits. I wish we'd brought marshmallows to roast over those little pits!

Jess drove further down Route 70 to a small old shopping center that seemed to consist mainly of various Asian restaurants and one massage parlor and spa. We had dinner at the Japanese restaurant Rayaki Ramen. They were small, but darn cool, with black-and-white anime artwork on the wall, dark wood booths, and episodes of InuYasha playing on the TV over the counter. 

She had spicy edamame and miso ramen. I had a spiral fried potato with really spicy mayo and tasty shrimp ramen. (Which I ate with a ladle-like spoon. I never could figure out chopsticks.) We shared crispy fried squid. I tried mochi green tea ice cream. This was ice cream wrapped in some kind of weird squishy dough. The ice cream was good, but I didn't like the texture of the dough and probably won't be trying it again.

Jessa had called an older guy friend to join us tonight. He couldn't find us and didn't turn up until well after we'd already eaten and were ready to go home. Turns out he lives in Pennsylvania and had a hard time getting away from  his job as a security guard as a prison. We discussed his drive and his job before we all finally headed home.

I finished the night listening to the Classic Fairy Stories CD set I picked up last year while working on the Shinbone Alley review. British comedian Cribbins reads eight fairy tales, including one, The Princess of the Glass Hill, that you don't often see on children's albums. Glass Hill is something of a male Cinderella story, with Cinderlad taming three horses who are raving his father's crops, then using them to bring the gold apple to the princess in the title three times. Other stories on this set include a very cute Goldilocks and the Three Bears and an expanded Three Little Pigs that shows how the Wolf didn't give up and kept trying to get that last pig. 

Oh, and American Girl just re-released Samantha in her original checked dress and black stockings, with her original accessories. Unlike the re-released dolls from last year, she comes with, not her original book, but a book that explains her time period and character. I'm happy with my Samantha and aren't in the market for another one, but I am glad they put out Sam in her first outfit again for those who want it. Now, if only they'd make more outfits for her... 

Baking and Other Cold-Weather Fun

Began the day quickly with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. "Snow Is My Favorite and My Best" says a delighted Lola after a storm. She and her brother and friends have so much fun sledding and making snowmen and snow dogs, she wishes it would snow all the time. Charlie takes her to the Antarctic, where it is always cold and snowy, to prove why it's good that some things only come once in a while. 

Dawn picked me up at 10:30 for our session this week. She mainly talked about signing up for government jobs. At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if anyone else will take me. None of the small offices around here are willing to give me a chance. They don't know me, and I don't have enough skills to make them look twice. I applied to two offices on Indeed, but I haven't really heard back from anyone in a while. 

She took me straight back after we finished. Though it wasn't as windy, the sky was a pearly gray, and it's still bitterly cold. This was no day for lingering anywhere. Besides, she was busy with other clients, including two who called while we were at the Haddon Township Library. 

Took the trash out when I got in, then had lunch and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's "Pluto to the Rescue" when Donald and Goofy are stranded behind a massive snowman on Mistletoe Mountain and can't get home. Pluto demonstrates that he's a good rescue dog when he helps Mickey off the edge of the mountain, finds a way for Pete to clear the road for his sleigh, and figures out how to get through to Goofy and Don.

Listened to local hard rock station WMMR on my mini radio as I made "Winter In the Berkshires" cookies, aka dark chocolate candy cane. Dark cocoa, crushed candy canes, chocolate chips, brown sugar, and lots of butter. There were supposed to be white chocolate chips, but I thought that sounded like overload. I probably should have added more brown sugar and milk. They came out tasty but dry and kept falling apart, though they were generally in better shape than the orange cake. They were very rich, though, with all that butter. I had candy canes leftover from Christmas and thought I'd try them, but the richness will make these a once-in-a-while winter treat.

Put on Tommy when I got upstairs. I go further into this rock spectacle about a deaf-mute British youth who becomes a pinball sensation at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Tommy (1975)

Got the children's record inventory going while Tommy was on. This should be far easier to do than the cast albums or rock records. I don't have that many children's titles, and the vast majority of them are on vinyl. I've been trying to find more children's albums since I started collecting records in 2006, but I haven't had that much luck until the last five years or so. I did find some albums before that. Of this batch, The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and Introducing the Care Bears go back the furthest. I found them at Oaklyn yard sales in 2011. I'm hoping this will only take me a week or two to finish, absolutely no longer than a month.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while having dinner and finishing the inventory work for today. Phyllis Diller and Fred Grandy joined in for the first week, which ended with Charles Nelson Reilly turning up in the contestant's chair in the beginning. He claimed he was a 29-year-old contestant, prompting a "You wish!" from Brett. Judy Landers and Robert Walden made the panel a pleasure to look at during the next week.

Finished the night with Grimm's Fairy Tales. This collection of fairy tale retellings from RCA Camden are mostly lighter updates of familiar stories. Little Red Riding Hood tells the wolf he should be on television, Cinderella gets a cuckoo clock to make the prince notice her, and the Sleeping Beauty's prince has to make the evil fairy laugh to release her from the sleeping spell, no kissing or dragons involved. 

Ironically, the most comic of the original stories, "The Fisherman and His Wife," actually ends up being one of the darkest here. The Grimm story ends with the fisherman and his wife simply being stripped of their wealth and returning to being poor after the wife asks to order around the sun and the moon. In this version, the fish becomes human and the wife is turned into a fish forever thanks to her greed. 

Highway 70 Brew

Began the morning with breakfast and She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown. Peppermint Patty's competing in the regional skating competition, with Snoopy as her demanding coach. She thinks Marcie's going to make her a costume, but Marcie keeps trying to explain that she can't sew. Snoopy does that, too, and helps Patty clear a bunch of boys who want to play hockey off her usual skating pond. Snoopy's less useful at the competition when his cassette gets tangled, but that's where his old buddy Woodstock comes in.

Dawn picked me up for the Cherry Hill Mall Job Fair at around quarter of 10. There were already two other people with her, the same people who went to the Burlington County Job Fair last October. At least it didn't take long to get to the mall. Having been there many times, I directed Dawn to the parking lot across from the main entrance. The job fair is usually held in the main hall across from Nordstrom.

I only did slightly better this time than in November. New York Life wasn't looking for secretaries, but the lady at the booth was really nice. I left her my resume. The Sun Newspapers are finally looking for writers, but the lady there was grumpy, and they already have my resume. The one other non-government or health care company there, a solar company based in Louisiana, was only hiring salespeople. 

Dawn was just disappointed at how tiny it was. There weren't that many more booths than in November, and this time, they had plenty of space. She's been complaining about how much work companies expect their employees to do nowadays too, too much for one new hire. I didn't think any of us were going to get much more from it, and I wasn't ready to go home yet. She took the others back to her car, and I headed in the opposite direction towards JC Penney.

Spent the next hour or so going in and out of stores. Found nothing at Build-a-Bear. Was hoping to get a Flyers jersey at Fan Treasures or Champs Sports, but they're expensive. Maybe I'll get that online, too. Found a cute soft red checked nightgown with lace trim at JC Penney. It had some kind of gunk on the sleeves, but it'll wash off. Picked up two classic records at FYE: 

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Thought of doing lunch at the cafe in the back of Nordstrom, but they were expensive. I ended up at the Bistro at Cherry Hill. This small restaurant smack dab in the middle of the Macy's wing started life as the Cherry Hill Grill, the restaurant for the mall's Woolworth in the 60's. Nowadays, it sells salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pizza for hungry shoppers and office workers. I went with a turkey wrap and fries...and since they were out of the avocado for the turkey wrap and I still wanted it, the man behind the counter threw in my iced tea for free. (The turkey wrap was a bit dry, but it still tasted good.)

Bath and Body Works is across from the Bistro. I needed Chapstick. I only have one tube left. They were having a buy three, get one free on smaller beauty items at the front of the store. I bought three lip balms in Sweet Mint, Champagne Toast, and Strawberry Pound Cake and a lip scrub in Strawberry. 

Strolled around the Macy's wing after lunch, checking out Williams-Sonoma, the Squishables store, and Go! Calendars and Games. Went upstairs to the second floor for a look at Old Navy. Picked up a heavy pair of jeans for work that were listed as $19.99 on the clearance rack and came up $12.99. Grabbed a yummy pineapple coconut milkshake and a Diet Pepsi for later from Haagen Daas at the food court.

I was ready to pack it in by then and called Uber. I should have told the driver where, exactly, I wanted to be picked up. The Cherry Hill Mall is huge, and there's a lot of entrances. I went out through the main entrance I came out of, but no one ever saw me. The two trucks making deliveries to Season 52 and Urban Outfitters didn't help, either. When they finally canceled, I explored Urban Outfitters briefly to look at records before trying again. This time, I distinctly mentioned I was in front of Urban Outfitters' entrance. Got a bearded gentleman in two minutes. He chattered all the way back to Oaklyn (though he had a rather odd accent and I could only understand maybe ten words out of a hundred). 

At least the weather was nice for waiting. It remains sunny, but without the wild wind of earlier in the week. It's much warmer now, in the mid-40's. The little bit of snow we got last night was long gone by the time the gentleman drove over the frozen Cooper River and into Westmont. 

Listened to my new records when I got home. Highway 61 Revisited from 1965 was Bob Dylan's second album to use the more electric-oriented sound for his folk music. As depicted in the two movies on his life, it was hugely controversial in the mid-60's, but you can't argue with the results. Some of the best music Dylan ever wrote is on this album. I love the hit "Like a Rolling Stone," and there's also the title song, "Tombstone Blues," and "Ballad of a Thin Man."

Bitches Brew came out five years later and also featured a master of his genre experimenting with electronic instruments. If Bob Dylan fused folk and rock, then Miles Davis did equally amazing things fusing jazz and rock. Like Bob Dylan's experiments, this was highly controversial when it came out, but is now accepted as one of his best albums and the father of jazz-rock. Some of these songs can't be called anything but epic, notably the title number and "Sanctuary." The album cover alone, with its colorful surreal imagery, is worth buying this for.

Worked on the Seasonal inventory while these were on. Added the Radio City Music Hall Christmas soundtrack, A Broadway Christmas, Cabaret Noel, Jimmy Buffett's Christmas Island, and Harry Connick Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas. The Broadway collections go back the furthest here. I have no idea where Cabaret Noel came from anymore, and I got Broadway Christmas from a thrift shop in the Villas in late 2005, just a few months before I moved. 

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point as well. Frankly, I'm glad they cut my hours way back. If there was any week it would be good to have four days off, next week would be it. The high on Tuesday will be 17. I only work on the weekends and four hours on Wednesday. I'll probably get some things done when it starts warming up a bit on Thursday and Friday, but I plan on spending Monday and Tuesday at home. 

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while eating dinner, then finished the night with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Jack Frost was the English dubbing of a Russian fairy tale movie from the 1950's. It seems to be a cross between "Beauty and the Beast," "Cinderella," "Mother Holle," and another Russian tale, "Baba Yaga." A handsome nobleman shows off for a pretty lass, not knowing she's being abused by her hateful stepmother and spoiled and egotistical stepsister. He's given the head of a bear by an elf in a mushroom hat until he does a good deed, then has to get around the old witch Baba Yaga and her moving house. She's abandoned in the woods and is rescued by Grandfather Frost, but is tricked by Baba Yaga's cat into touching his staff and freezing. Ivan has to finally repent - and learn that being kind is its own reward - in order for Grandfather Frost to restore her. 

Mike and the robots thought this was weird, but I find it oddly charming. I love fairy tale films, and while the dubbing was goofy and there's odd details like the elf in the mushroom hat, it's certainly far from bad. Apparently, like Three Wishes for Cinderella, it remains popular in Russia and the Czech countries as a holiday movie to this day. Once again, if you love fairy tales too, this is worth checking out with or without robot wisecracks. 

Quiet Afternoon at the Library

Began the day with breakfast and the last of the new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episodes. "Daniel Does It His Way" when he tries to imitate Prince Wednesday's "bear prints" in the snow and can't keep his balance. His mother reminds him that it's just as much fun to do it in his own way. He and his father are frustrated when they try to make a bird face on their pancakes and keep losing the blueberry "eyes." They end up using other fruits. Katarina has her own frustrations when she realizes she can't read like O in "Katerina and O Go Skating." She can, however, tell the skating story in her own way. Likewise, O is only just learning how to skate. Katerina encourages him to try baby steps and do it his way.

Called Uber soon as the episode was done. It was past 12:30, so they took over 11 minutes to arrive. Once they came, there were no problems, no traffic on the road. They pulled in front of the Camden County Vogelson Branch Library - aka the Voorhees Library - in 20 minutes. 

I'd only been to the Voorhees Library once since they remodeled in 2021. It really did make a dramatic difference. The walls and floors were now dark ash wood rather than darker browns and blacks, and there were blond wavy wood partitions separating the children's and young adults sections from the first floor. Lots of DVD and CD racks, too. Their children section alone, announced by a long banner made to look like colorful blocks, was probably the size of the Haddon Township Library.

The fiction stacks are on the other side of the children's area. Boy, did I hit pay dirt here! They had mystery series I'd been after for ages in full or nearly full (including the first book in the Key West series) and tons of Mercedes Lackey. I ended up with from downstairs: 

The Fairy Godmother and Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

Charms and Chocolate Chips by Bailey Cates

An Appetite For Murder by Lucy Burdette

The upstairs nonfiction area was so huge, I mainly ended up checking out their extensive collection of film, TV, and theater-related books. Looked over books on demolished New York theaters and lost movies, but I only ended up with a coffee-table book on stage and screen musicals, Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated History. 

Strolled two blocks down and past a sprawling apartment complex for the elderly and three large office buildings to "The Boulevard," the outdoor condo and shops buildings just outside of the largely abandoned Voorhees Town Center. Honestly, the Boulevard isn't doing so hot, either. At least, unlike the Town Center, which has been closed except for the Boscov's store since a fire in the food court last year, there are some open restaurants here. One of them is the very modern orange and ash wood-and-metal Crust n' Fire. A sweet young waitress brought me an absolutely delicious Thai Shrimp Wrap with cucumber, spring greens, shrimp, and almonds smothered in Asian ginger dressing. Sooo yummy! Perfect melding of sweet, tangy, crunchy, and slightly spicy. 

I figured it would be easier to pick up Uber at the library on the main road, rather than making them drive into the Boulevard, so I walked back there. The initial driver was supposed to have taken 16 minutes, but he canceled within barely seconds of taking the job. Thank heavens his replacement didn't even need three minutes to arrive. Considering it was past 4:30 and the height of rush hour, there was surprisingly little traffic going home. 

Did some job searching when I got home. Applied to administrative assistant jobs in Bellmawr and Delran. I'm slightly more interested in the one for Somerset Contractors in Bellmawr. To tell the truth, none of the office jobs really excite me all that much. What I want to do is write, but I don't think I'll ever really make money off that, and certainly not health insurance. For now, the secretarial work is at least closer to what I'm actually good at than being stuck in retail, which I loathe.

Let Match Game '73 run as I searched Indeed. The second episode of the night picked up with the best two weeks of the entire year. Bill Cullen made his debut the first week, along with the only rock star brave enough to try Match Game, "Mama" Cass Elliot. Too bad Cass passed away before she had the chance to return. She was not only a lot of fun and a good player, she was also a good sport. She endured a lot of weight jokes that week, including Richard Dawson threatening to let her flatten the entire first row if they got rowdy. McLean Stevenson appeared for the first time the next week. Broadway star Nancy Dussalt was such a delight in the fourth ingenue seat, I wish she'd come back during the 70's-80's run. (She wouldn't appear again until the Too Close for Comfort week on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour.) 

Finished the night at Hulu and Disney Plus with episodes of MASH, which I haven't watched in a while. In honor of McLean, I did two second season episodes. "Dear Dad...Three" once again has Hawkeye writing to his father about the shenanigans at the 4077th. The surgeons find themselves trying to remove a live grenade from a soldier and teach another who worries about getting the right blood a lesson in prejudice. The attempt at a "monthly" meeting with all the officers (and Radar) isn't terribly productive. Hot Lips and Frank continue their affair. Hawkeye, Radar, and Trapper join Henry in watching his daughter's birthday party on a home movie, along with him and his wife goofing off. (I didn't know McLean had such skinny legs!)

"The Sniper" has everyone on edge and diving for cover. He disrupts Hawkeye's picnic with a pretty nurse (Terri Garr), Frank's attempts to shoot cans off a fence, and Henry and Radar taking showers. (We also get some of the first nudity on TV with glimpses of Gary Burgoff's bare rear as he dashes to the others at the main headquarters.) Between helping victims, Hawkeye and Frank try to insist to whomever is doing the shooting that they have no weapons and are friendly, while Henry and Radar call the real headquarters for more help. 

In the Winter Sunshine

Began a late morning with breakfast and brand-new episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel and Mom Make a Treat," but they're out of bananas for Mrs. Tiger's famous Banana Whirl frozen sorbet. It tastes equally good substituting fresh coconut as Mrs. Tiger reminds her son that it doesn't matter what they make, she still enjoys being with him. "Jodi Sleeps at Her Dad's House" introduces Jodi Platt's father and his cabin in the woods. She's disappointed when it rains and they can't have a camp out together, but he reminds her that they can spend just as much time together inside.

I had some errands to run before I met Dawn at 1 PM, so I left early. Though the streets and most sidewalks were clear, it was still windy and very cold. I called Uber. They arrived in 8 minutes and didn't take more than three or four minutes to pull up in front of the Target at Westmont Plaza.

Mainly went there for vitamins. Their entire vitamin section was buy one, get one 50 percent off. The sugar-free Vitafusion was slightly more expensive than Target's sugar-free women's multi-vitamin gummies, but also bigger and held more gummies. Also grabbed a soda and a box of Made Good breakfast bars, which are cheaper at Target than they are anywhere else but Walmart. Grabbed a tasty and warming Matcha Vanilla Latte at Starbucks for the short walk to the Haddon Township Library.

Returned that ADHD book, then browsed around the stacks until Dawn arrived. Though we applied for eight jobs, including market coordinator and many office assistant titles, I doubt I'll get any of them. I just don't have enough skills. There's too many other people out there who have far more skills and experience in office settings than I do. She found a Microsoft Office class at the Voorhees Library, but of course, it was on Saturday, one of the few days this week I actually work. I might hit that library this Friday anyway to see if they have any books or programs there that could help me.

It was past 3 when I finally made my way back to the Westmont Plaza for lunch. My original plan for today was the Bagel Shop, but they were closed by then. Ended up at Nick and Joe's Pizza instead. They normally would have been busy with high school kids by 3:30, but a lot of the teens must have gone right home instead of hanging out in the cold. Ate my slice of slightly spicy veggie pizza and slice of tomato-basil pizza in relative silence, other than the really sweet waitress/clerk.

Though it remained chilly by quarter of 4, it was also sunny, and the wind had died down considerably since the early afternoon. I figured I'd be fine walking home. It's only a 20-minute walk from the Westmont Plaza to the White Horse Pike side of Oaklyn. Besides, all of the roads and most of the sidewalks were totally clear. The snow was so light and fluffy, it simply blew away from many yards. 

Put on Gold Diggers of 1935 when I got home. I go further into the fluffy romantic comedy that introduced the anything-but-sweet Oscar-winning Busby Berkeley number "Lullaby of Broadway" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Gold Diggers of 1935

Switched to Match Game '73 during dinner. Jo Ann Pflug came in for a lot of ribbing that week...or, more specifically, the sequined t-shirts she wore. Richard and Gene happily joked about her Camel shirt on one episode and her Navy-themed one on the next.

Finished the night catching up with Broadway cast albums I've bought and either never listened to, or only listened to once or twice. The Broadway Victor/Victoria is an example of the former. Julie Andrews may have turned down her lone Tony nomination, but really, she was the only great thing about this. Frank Wildhorn's additional songs are only so-so, and nothing like Henry Mancini's original score. Some of the other performances aren't bad, notably Tony Roberts as the gay singer who encourages Victor to become Victoria and Rachel York as the ditzy dancer girlfriend of the gangster who falls for Victoria, but this is mostly for Andrews fans and completeists.

Likewise, Redhead is mainly for huge fans of Gwen Verdon. Neglected Essie Whimple (Verdon) is bored working for her two stern aunts at their wax museum in Victorian London. She thinks life has passed her by, until their display on the murder of chorus girl Ruth LaRue catches the attention of LaRue's former co-workers and Scotland Yard. After she falls for the strong man at the theater where LaRue performed (Richard Kiley), she makes herself over into a fabulous redhead and lies about knowing who the murderer is to get his attention. It works too well, not only getting his attention, but the real murderer's as well.

No wonder this is seldom heard from today. Despite having an intriguing original premise, the songs are dull and about as 50's musical as you can get. There's random chorus numbers that have nothing to do with anything ("The Uncle Sam Rag"), two macho numbers for Kiley ("She's Just Not Enough Woman for Me" and "I'm Back In Circulation") and "I want" songs for Verdon ("The Right Finger of My Left Hand"). Apparently, the best thing about this was Bob Fosse's choreography and direction, including "Essie's Vision" and "The Pick Pocket Tango." Cute if you're a fan of Verdon or 50's musicals, nothing worth going out-of-your-way for otherwise.

The Threepenny Opera is all together sterner stuff. I have the famous 1956 Off-Broadway cast album with Kurt Weill's widow Lotte Lenya in her original role of Pirate Jenny. Other now-familiar performers heard here include Beatrice Arthur as Lucy, Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Peacham, Jo Sullivan as Polly, and John Astin as one of the singers in "The Wedding Song" and "The Army Song." This is probably best-known nowadays for introducing American audiences to Lenya and what became the jaunty standard "Mack the Knife." 

The Oaklyn Christmas Parade

Began the morning with breakfast and A Pink Panther Christmas. Pink spends his Christmas Eve wandering around New York, looking desperately for any kind of a meal. He tries to work as a Santa in a department store, but gets thrown out for stealing the kiddies' treats. An old lady asks him to shovel snow, but it gets covered again before she can pay. Stealing the carrot off a kid's snowman only ends with the carrot in the belly of a horse. Even his attempts to get arrested so he can have a real meal ends with him catching an actual robber. It's not until the end, when he shares his last crumb with a hungry dog, that he's reminded that giving is its own reward.

Headed out after that, first to run errands at Sprouts. I mainly needed coconut milk and apples. They were having a sale on Pink Lady apples there. Grabbed dried orange-flavored cranberries, which were on sale, too. Got a box of granola bars, more because they were on sale than anything else. Those Nixie sodas still had coupons attached.

Hurried to the Haddon Township Library for my session with Dawn. I did apply for a job early-on, but we mostly had no luck. Not only is it hard to find jobs during the holidays, I'm just too darn picky. I'm not interested in doing medical work, working for the post office sounds too close to retail, and I really have no desire to be a stewardess. I wish I had more skills! I need to find free or cheap offline computer classes. Having a teacher there will help keep me on track and make me focus. 

Stopped at Genova Pizza for lunch on the way home. Decided to do something different and had a vegetable Stromboli. It was a little browned on the top and bottom, but edible, especially dipped in marinara sauce...and unlike the Stromboli at Phillies Phatties, it wasn't too much to eat in one sitting. They were largely quiet at 2 PM except for one random older guy sitting in the corner whom I suspect was more there for warmth than food.

After I got home, I settled down and watched The Young Girls of Rochefort. I go further into this charming Jacques Demy musical from France with dazzling dances by Gene Kelly at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Young Girls of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)

Began the Seasonal Album inventory next. This will include all seasonal and holiday music, including everything I have for Christmas. Started it off with my four winter titles, Jazz at the (Winter) Olympics, Winter Memories, December by George Winston, and Holiday Symphony. The last-named is a selection of  instrumental numbers meant to revolve around patriotic holidays. I have it listed for President's Day, but it also has songs for the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Decoration Day (what's now known as Memorial Day) too. December goes back the furthest here. I picked it up from a yard sale in 2012. I found the others at record stores and Goodwill within the last five  years. 

Watched Match Game Syndicated while I worked and had a really quick dinner. In the first episode, Gene teased big George Kennedy about carrying a purse onstage. The second had Gene rambling on to Dick Martin about the cosmos for so long, the rest of the panel walked off the stage and the lights went out!

Bundled up and headed out around quarter of 7. Tonight was Oaklyn's Christmas Parade and tree-lighting. It was bitterly cold out when I made my way down the block, and gale-force windy, too. The only people there when I got there were those giving out treats. I went for a walk around the block...and when I got back, the fire station parking lot was hopping. I'm glad I was able to get creamy hot chocolate and M&M, white chocolate-macadamia nut, and perfectly moist double chocolate cookies topped with powdered sugar from the Civic Association. Grabbed bags of foam for craft project for a friend and her daughter, too.

Thankfully, the parade started right on time for once. It wasn't long after 7 when the first lights-covered fire truck was seen gliding down West Clinton. There were a lot of trucks this year, more than I figured there would be with the windy weather. One truck had a shivering snowman huddled on the steps entering the vehicle. Another was topped with a wooden sleigh pulled by dalmatians. There was also the one that sprayed fake "snow" into the air, to the delight of the kids. They all shrieked with delight when Santa came by, including the gaggle of pre-teen boys next to me who likely did it as a joke. 

After Santa finally joined us, some of the kids from the Oaklyn Elementary School performed "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and one other song. It might have been "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," but their voices were drowned out so badly by the crowd, it was hard to tell. 

Most of them ran over to the very tall town tree after they finished. Some of the littlest kids literally put their arms around it and gave it a hug. They were so noisy, I never did hear who the Volunteer of the Year was. Nothing happened for a minute after they counted down...before the tree finally blazed forth in glowing shades of red, yellow, and blue. The moment the tree was lit, I walked home.

Finished the night after a shower with more Christmas CDs while I worked on the review. My most recent Happy Holidays acquisition from eBay is Vol. 26 from 1991. By far the most unique track here is Willard Scott's opening spoken version of "The Night Before Christmas." Other songs are a bit more traditional, including Bing Crosby's "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and the Nat King Cole rendition of "The Christmas Song."

A Christmas Carol: The Musical is the show from Madison Square Garden that would be filmed by NBC in 2004. I didn't like the music much better on the cast album than I did in my review of the film back in 2018. "Abundance and Charity" is still a bit too brassy, and the Ghost of Christmas Past still sounds like she's a bit too naughty in her number. And I still don't understand why they used Charles Dickens' past for Scrooge instead of the one from the book.

I'm so glad I found Radio City Music Hall Presents Songs of Christmas! Stockton's Media Center had it when I was in college. I used to listen to it every year on my last day of work before Stockton let out for Christmas break, and I've missed it ever since I graduated. The "Christmas In New York" medley is especially charming.